Maps  and  Diagrams 


NEW  YORK  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 

1923 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2014 


https://archive.org/details/mapsdiagramsshowOOregi 


P.  N.  Y.  3 


MAPS  AND  DIAGRAMS 

SHOWING  PRESENT  CONDITIONS 
NEW  YORK   AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 
MARCH,  1923 


Prepared  by  the 

H  PHYSICAL  SURVEY 

PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK 
AND   ITS  ENVIRONS 
1923 

Price  25  Cents 


'"on  Theologies 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 

4150 1 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Committee   4 

Introductory  Statement   5 

Territory  Included   6-7 

Density  of  Population,  Entire  Area,  1920   8-9 

Population  Density,  Central  Area,  1850   10-11 

Population  Density,  Central  Area,  1920   12-13 

Trunk  Line  Highways   14-15 

Theoretical  Diagram  of  Main  Roads   16-17 

Traffic  Density  on  Main  Roads   18-19 

The  Topography  of  the  Region   20-21 

Passenger  Train  Service  in  the  Central  District   22-23 

Railroad  Commuting  Fare  Zones   24-25 

Railroad  Commuting  Time  Zones     26-27 

Parks  and  Open  Spaces   28-29 

Existing  Recreation  Facilities  in  the  Hudson  River  Valley   30-31 

Area,  Population,  and  Parks  in  Urban  and  Rural  Districts   32-33 

Comparison  of  Public  and  Private  Provision  for  Recreation   34-35 

Congestion  in  New  York  Theater  District   36-37 

Progress  of  Zoning  in  the  Territory  within  Thirty  Miles  of  New  York   38-39 


PLAN  ( )  I    N  !•;  \Y  Y  ()  R  K  A  XI)  I  T  S  E  N  VI  RONS 


COMMITTEE  ON  PLAN  of  NEW  YORK 
AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 

Charles  D.  Norton,*  Chairman 
Frederic  A.  Delano,  Acting  Chairman 
Robert  W.  de  Forest  Dwight  W.  Morrow 

John  M.  Glenn  Frank  L.  Polk 

Frederick  P.  Keppel,  Secretary 

Flavel  Shurtleff,  Assistant  Secretary 
130  East  22d  Street,  New  York  City 

PHYSICAL  SURVEY 

Nelson  P.  Lewis,  Director 

*  Died  on  March  6,  1923 


I   I  I 


P  L  A  N  OF  N  E  W  YORK  AN  I)  ITS  EN  V  IRON  S 


INTRODUCTORY  STATEMENT 


HE  first  thing  necessary  in  the  development  of  a  Plan  of  New  York  and 


Its  Environs  is  to  visualize  the  problem,  to  determine  the  extent  of  the 


territory  to  be  considered,  to  study  its  topography,  to  learn  something  of 
the  large  number  of  political  units  which  will  be  included  and  their  relation  to 
each  other,  and  to  secure  information  concerning  the  various  improvements  and 
development  in  progress  or  contemplated,  not  only  by  the  several  states,  cities, 
and  towns,  but  by  public  service  and  industrial  corporations.  This  work  has 
been  and  is  being  carried  forward  by  the  Physical  Survey,  which  has  prepared 
a  large  number  of  maps,  diagrams,  and  sketches,  as  was  indicated  on  page  23 
of  the  Report  of  Progress,  dated  February  1,  1923. 

In  order  to  give  some  idea  of  the  general  character  of  these  studies  and  the 
way  in  which  the  results  have  been  presented,  a  few  of  the  maps  and  diagrams 
are  reproduced  herewith.  Those  selected  will  show  the  territory  under  con- 
sideration, the  population  of  the  different  portions  of  the  area,  and  its  relative 
density  at  different  periods.  They  will  also  show  the  main  lines  of  communica- 
tion by  highways  and  railways,  the  volume  of  vehicular  traffic  on  the  former 
and  the  passenger  train  service  afforded  by  the  latter,  as  indicated  by  facilities, 
time,  and  rates  of  fare.  Parks  and  other  open  spaces  are  also  indicated,  as  well 
as  the  possibility  of  materially  increasing  the  recreation  facilities,  while  atten- 
tion is  drawn  to  the  great  disparity  between  the  provision  made  for  public 
recreation  and  that  supplied  by  social  organizations  to  their  own  limited  mem- 
bership. Another  illustration  shows  the  extent  to  which  the  idea  of  regulating 
the  use  of  private  property,  together  with  the  degree  to  which  the  area  of  plots 
may  be  built  upon,  has  spread  within  this  district  since  the  adoption  of  New 
York's  zoning  plan  in  1916. 

With  the  kind  permission  of  Air.  I.  N.  Phelps  Stokes,  the  Eddy  Map,  dedi- 
cated to  DeWitt  Clinton,  and  reproduced  from  the  "  Iconography  of  Manhattan 
Island,"  appears  upon  the  cover. 


[51 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 


TERRITORY  INCLUDED 


HE  map  on  page  7  shows  simply  the  counties  and  portions  of  counties  in 


New  York,  New  Jersey,  and  Connecticut  which  arc  under  consideration, 


except  that  the  study  includes  all  of  Long  Island.  The  county  seats,  ex- 
cept in  the  counties  of  New  York  City  and  in  Suffolk,  Orange,  and  Dutchess 
Counties,  where  they  art'  outside  the  limits  of  the  map,  are  indicated  by  a  star, 
and  the  relative  populations  of  the  different  counties  and  parts  of  counties  are 
shown  by  the  size  of  the  small  circles.  The  distribution  of  population  between 
the  present  city  of  New  York,  New  York  State  outside  of  the  city,  New  Jersey, 
and  Connecticut,  is  shown  by  the  smaller  circular  diagram.  The  figures  are  those 
of  the  Federal  Census  of  1920.  Several  estimates  have  been  made  of  the  prob- 
able population  up  to  the  end  of  the  present  century,  the  area  being  divided  for 
this  purpose  into  urban,  suburban,  and  rural  districts.  The  urban  district  in- 
cludes the  present  city  of  New  York,  Hudson  County,  and  Newark;  the  suburban 
district  all  of  Nassau,  Westchester,  and  Union  Counties,  the  westerly  portion  of 
Fairfield  County,  Essex  County,  outside  of  Newark,  and  the  southerly  portions 
of  Bergen  and  Passaic  Counties;  the  rural  district  includes  the  remainder  of  the 
area.  While  the  figures  for  the  year  2000  differ  somewhat,  it  is  significant  that 
the  several  estimates  are  almost  identical  up  to  the  year  1960,  these  being,  for 
the  last-named  date,  approximately  13,000,000  for  the  urban,  5,000,000  for  the 
suburban,  and  2,000,000  for  the  rural  areas,  or  a  total  of  20,000,000.  These 
figures,  therefore,  with  any  of  the  estimates  for  the  years  after  1960,  may  safely 
be  accepted  as  a  reasonable  basis  for  comprehensive  planning  for  the  future. 


[6] 


P  L  A  N  OF  NEW  Y  ORK  AN  D  ITS  K  N  V  I  R  O  N  S 


[  7  ] 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND   ITS  ENVIRONS 


DENSITY  OF  POPULATION,  K  NT  I  RE  AREA,  1920 

IT  IS  important  to  note  how  the  9,000,000  people  living  in  this  area  are  dis- 
tributed. The  map  on  page  9  indicates,  liy  symbols,  the  average  popula- 
tion per  square  mile  in  different  parts  of  the  district.  The  variations  are 
so  great  that  it  is  impossible,  in  such  a  plan,  to  distinguish  between  densities 
running  over  100,000  to  the  square  mile,  which  is  the  average  for  Manhattan 
Island.  The  next  greatest  density  indicated  is  from  10,000  to  30,000,  this  apply- 
ing to  Kings,  Bronx,  and  Hudson  Counties.  A  surprisingly  large  part  of  the 
area  has  an  average  of  less  than  200  people  to  the  square  mile,  notwithstanding 
the  fact  that  towns  of  considerable  size  are  included.  Under  this  classification 
fall  all  of  Suffolk,  Putnam,  Dutchess,  Orange,  Morris,  and  Somerset  Counties, 
and  portions  of  Nassau,  Westchester,  Fairfield,  Bergen,  Passaic,  Middlesex,  and 
Monmouth  Counties.  A  comparison  of  the  relative  density  of  population  per 
square  mile  in  the  rural  areas,  as  indicated  by  the  census  enumerations  made  in 
1850  and  in  1920,  discloses  the  somewhat  startling  fact  that  in  a  number  of 
towns,  from  30  to  50  miles  distant  from  the  New  York  City  Hall,  the  present 
population  per  square  mile  is  about  halt  w  hat  it  was  in  1850,  and  in  some  eases 
even  less.  These  are  not  districts  where  the  population  appears  to  have  been 
displaced  by  the  creation  of  large  estates  or  by  the  acquisition  of  great  tracts  of 
land  for  any  public  purpose,  such  as  municipal  water  supplies.  The  fact  seems 
to  show  the  tendency  to  concentration  of  population  in  large  cities  and  towns. 


18] 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 


UNION 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND   I  T  S  K  N  V  I  R  O  N  S 


POPULATION  DENSITY,  CENTRAL  AREA,  1850 

[T  IS  desirable  to  get  a  somew  hat  closer  viewoi  the  distribution  of  population 
in  the  central  area  and  see  how  this  has  changed.  There  is  first  shown  on 
page  11  the  population  per  square  mile  as  indicated  by  the  Census  of  1850. 
The  greatest  density  at  that  time  was,  of  course,  in  the  lower  portion  of  Man- 
hattan Island,  where  it  reached  between  150,000  and  200,000  per  square  mile. 
In  Brooklyn  the  maximum  was  between  75,000  and  100,000,  which  was  found 
in  a  very  small  area  near  Fulton  Ferry.  At  no  place  north  of  Twenty-third 
Street  in  the  Borough  of  Manhattan  does  there  appear  to  have  been  as  many  as 
5,000  to  the  square  mile,  and  this  density  was  reached  only  in  very  small  areas 
in  Brooklyn,  in  Jersey  City,  and  in  a  portion  of  Newark.  All  of  Manhattan 
above  Twenty-third  Street,  all  of  the  Boroughs  of  the  Bronx,  Queens,  and 
Richmond,  and  what  are  now  the  populous  Bushwick,  Bedford,  Flatbush,  and 
Bay  Ridge  districts  of  Brooklyn,  were  in  this  same  classification. 


I  in] 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 


11 


V 


UNION 


Til  BO  I 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  ITS  K  N  V  I  RO  N  S 


POPULATION  DENSITY,  CENTRAL  AREA,  1920 


( "( '( )RI  )l  N(  i  to  the  last  census,  nowhere  in  New  York  City  except  in  a  por- 


tion oi  the  Bronx  east  <>l  the  Bronx  River,  and  in  the  southeasterly  part 


oi  the  Borough  of  Queens,  and  the  major  part  oi  the  Borough  of  Rich- 
mond, could  be  found  the  average  density  of  less  than  5,000  to  the  square  mile, 
w  hich  so  generally  prevailed  in  1  850.  ( )n  the  lower  east  side  ol  Manhattan  there 
was  in  1 020  a  considerable  area  containing  an  average  ol  more  than  200,000 
people  to  the  square  mile.  From  another  map  showing  population  in  1900  it 
appears  that  in  portions  of  this  same  district  there  were  then  over  300,000  to 
the  square  mile,  but  during  the  next  two  decades  this  average  was  reduced  by 
the  destruction  of  main-  tenements  in  order  to  provide  approaches  to  the  East 
River  bridges.  The  apparent  decrease  is  also  partly  due  to  the  fact  that  the 
census  figures  for  1920  were  given  by  considerably  larger  areas.  Spots  of  great 
population  density  have  developed  above  Central  Park,  along  the  upper  East 
River,  in  the  W  illiamsburg  and  Brownsville  Sections  of  Brooklyn,  and  in  por- 
tions of  the  Bronx  immediately  west  of  the  Bronx  River.  There  is  still  room  for 
a  very  large  population,  without  crowding,  in  Eastern  Bronx  and  Queens,  and 
even  in  portions  of  the  Borough  of  Brooklyn,  while  nearly  all  of  the  Borough  of 
Richmond  and  very  large  areas  in  New  Jersey  still  have  fewer  than  5,000  people 
to  the  square  mile. 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 


MWM'Mi 


mm  i 
lift  ** 


Legend 

Population  per  Square  Mile 

LESS  THAN  5000  3000  TO  (0.000 


MAP  OF 

NEW  YORK  CITY  &   CONTIGUOUS  TERRITORY 

5M0WING 

RELATIVE  DENSITIES  OF  POPULATION 

ACCORDING  TO 
^  |     U.S.  CENSUS  Or  1920 


'O,ooo  to  25,000 


?*00o  TO  50,000 


1  V 

50.000  TO  7S00O 


>  200,000         ;oo.ooo  c 


Figures  in  circles  (5)  indicate  assembly  districts  mall  counties  of  NewYor*  City 

except   Richmond  where  tney  represent  wards 
Boundaries  oi/tside  New  Vorfc  City  show  catir'rM  and  i"Tor  oyiI  divisions 

PLAN  Of  NEW  YORK  AND  ITS  tN  VI  RONS 


13 


Op 
UtflON 


AI- 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 


TRUNK  LINK  HIGHWAYS 

PUBLIC  highways  still  constitute  the  most  important  moans  of  communica- 
tion between  different  parts  of  the  area  under  study.  The  importance  of 
the  public  road  for  this  purpose  may  have  decreased  with  the  development 
of  railroads,  but  as  road  surfaces  have  been  improved,  and  motor  vehicles,  both 
for  pleasure  riding  and  for  transport,  have  come  into  general  use,  the  public  high- 
way has  again  assumed  first  place  as  a  means  of  communication.  The  map  on 
page  1  5  shows  what  might  be  considered  trunk  line  highways  of  the  district. 
It  includes  but  a  small  proportion  of  the  well-improved  roads,  and  many  of  the 
heavily  traveled  roads  are  omitted.  It  is  designed  simply  to  show  main  traffic 
lines  that  connect  important  centers  and  that  carry,  and  will  always  continue 
to  carry,  a  large  volume  of  miscellaneous  traffic.  The  plan,  at  first  glance, 
appears  to  be  altogether  lacking  in  symmetry  and  to  be  incapable  of  representa- 
tion by  a  theoretical  diagram  such  as  is  commonly  used  in  planning  studies. 
Further  examination,  however,  will  show  that  there  is  what  might  be  called  a 
major  axis  in  the  Albany  Post  Road  on  the  easterly  side  of  the  Hudson  and 
following  Broadway  (Manhattan),  the  ferry  to  Staten  Island,  the  Amboy  Road 
to  Tottenville,  and,  crossing  to  Perth  Amboy,  following  the  old  New  York- 
Philadelphia  Stage  Route  to  Princeton,  Trenton,  and  Philadelphia.  Inner  and 
outer  circumferential  routes  can  also  be  readily  traced — one  across  Long  Island 
and  Long  Island  Sound  from  Rockville  Center  to  Rye,  and  then  through  White 
Plains,  Tarrytown,  Nyack,  Suffern,  and  Morristown,  to  Perth  Amboy  and 
Atlantic  Highlands,  and  an  outer  route  from  Patchogue  to  Port  Jefferson,  by 
ferry  to  Bridgeport,  and  then  by  way  of  Brewster,  Newburgh,  Lake  Hopatcong, 
and  Somerville  to  Asbury  Park. 


[  14] 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 


[  15  ] 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 


THEORETICAL  DIAGRAM  OF  MAIN  ROADS 


X  effort  is  frequently  made  to  reduce  to  a  geometrical  or,  at  least,  a  sym- 


metrical figure  the  street  system  of  a  city  or  the  road  system  of  a  district. 


Notwithstanding  the  complexity  of  the  general  highway  plan  of  this 
territory,  such  a  theoretical  diagram  can  be  produced,  although  the  main  axis 
is  a  curved  line.  There  is  very  little  distortion  so  far  as  the  location  of  the 
controlling  points  is  concerned.  Of  course,  the  roads  connecting  them  follow 
neither  the  straight  lines  nor  the  symmetrical  curves  which  are  shown.  The 
broken  lines  indicate  direct  connections  which  do  not  exist  but  which  would  be 
desirable.  On  the  westerly  side  of  the  Hudson  River  there  is  a  somewhat  more 
direct  route,  closely  paralleling  the  main  axis,  but  avoiding  the  ferries.  This  is 
indicated  by  the  straight  line  between  Nyack  and  Metuchen.  The  plan  shows 
how  intimately  the  different  portions  of  this  district  can  be,  and  in  many  cases 
already  are,  connected  with  each  other.  It  suggests  the  possibility  of  substitut- 
ing more  direct  lines  than  are  afforded  by  the  present  roads.  There  are,  in 
many  cases,  very  serious  obstacles  to  the  construction  of  such  lines  as,  for 
example,  between  Brewster  and  Fishkill,  where  a  long  detour  is  at  present 
necessary  around  the  Fishkill  Mountains. 


[  16] 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 


TRAFFIC  DKNS1TY  ON  MAIN  ROADS 


HE  volume  of  traffic  on  the  main  roads  lias  increased,  and  is  still  increas- 


ing, to  such  an  extent  that  driving  on  them  is  attended  not  only  with 


discomfort  hut  with  positive  danger.  The  diagram  on  page  19  indicates 
the  volume  of  vehicular  traffic  on  the  principal  highways  radiating  from  the 
most  densely  populated  area — New  York  City  (except  Staten  Island),  Hudson 
County,  and  Newark.  This  area  is  indicated  by  vertical  section  lines.  The  width 
of  these  strips  shows,  by  scale,  the  number  of  vehicles  passing  different  points 
during  the  busiest  hour  of  the  day.  As  these  lines  approach  the  city  the  strips 
tended  to  overlap  and  they  could  not  be  carried  further  than  indicated.  They 
do  not  all  represent  actual  counts  of  traffic.  Main-  such  counts,  however,  were 
taken  at  various  points  in  the  States  of  New  York,  New  Jersey,  and  Connecticut 
by  State  Highway  and  County  Road  Departments,  and  by  men  employed  for 
that  purpose  by  the  Physical  Survey.  The  volume  of  traffic  represents  what 
might  be  called  the  peak  load,  and  in  comparing  different  results  it  was  soon 
discovered  that  counts  taken  at  different  seasons  of  the  year,  on  different  days 
of  the  week,  and  at  different  hours  of  the  day,  were  not  comparable.  It  was 
therefore  necessary  to  establish,  by  observation  and  actual  counts,  certain  ratios 
which  could  be  applied  to  observations  taken  at  different  times  and  for  differ- 
ent periods  of  time.  The  results  shown  by  the  diagram  are  fairly  accurate  and 
certainly  indicate  the  need  of  study  to  determine  the  best  location  for  alternate 
routes  and  by-passes  to  cut  out  congested  centers. 

Motor  transport  is  increasing  rapidly  and  must  be  considered  in  any  com- 
prehensive plan.  One  of  the  greatest  sources  of  danger  on  heavily  traveled 
roads  is  due  to  the  presence  of  both  light  and  heavy  vehicles  and  those  of  dif- 
ferent speeds  on  the  same  roadway.  The  provision  of  separate  roadways, 
whether  by  setting  apart  portions  of  existing  roads,  when  widened,  or  by  estab- 
lishing entirely  independent  routes,  is  something  that  must  receive  serious 
consideration. 

The  legends  on  the  maps  on  pages  19,  25,  and  27  are  not  readily  legible, 
owing  to  reduction  in  scale,  and  are  repeated  after  the  descriptive  text. 


Boundaries 


State  — 
County  — 

Township,  City,  etc. 


Ferries 


Central  area,  where  traffic  is  too  great  to  be  shown  at 
the  scale  used. 


I  18  I 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 


^>  UNION 
THEOliOUICAL 
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S&UFFQLK  COUNTIES 


THE  TOPOGRAPHY  OF  THE  REGION 


HE  region  of  5,500  square  miles  within  the  area  under  study 


has  a  varied  topography  and  includes  many  places  of  rare 


natural  beauty.  The  elevations  range  from  the  low-lying  coasts 
of  Long  Island  and  New  Jersey  to  the  Highlands  of  the  Hudson,  reach- 
ing an  altitude  of  more  than  1,600  feet  above  sea  level,  while  nearer 
the  present  city  of  New  York  and  the  populous  centers  of  New  Jersey 
are  the  sharply  defined  ridges  of  the  Orange  or  Watchung  Mountains, 
and  back  of  these  again  the  hills  about  Lake  Hopatcong,  which  itself 
is  nearly  1 ,000  feet  above  tide  water.  There  are  many  other  lakes 
scattered  over  the  district,  some  of  them  being  the  reservoirs  from 
which  the  large  cities  draw  their  water  supplies.  The  deeply  indented 
shores  of  Long  Island  Sound,  the  wooded  hills  of  Staten  Island,  the 
Palisades  of  the  Hudson,  and  beyond  them  the  Highlands,  are 
picturesque  features  which  are  rarely  found  in  such  close  proximity 
to  large  centers  of  population. 

On  the  opposite  page  is  a  general  map  of  the  region,  which  indicates 
quite  clearly  the  physical  features  which  have  been  briefly  referred  to. 


ONG  ISLAND 


ICAI  % 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 


PASSENGER  TRAIN  SERVICE  IN  THE 
CENTRAL  DISTRICT 

IN  studying  this  great  area  of  5,500  square  miles  it  is  necessary  to  see  to  what 
extent  people  having  their  homes  outside  of  the  most  populous  centers  add 
to  the  day  population  of  these  centers  and  have  to  be  carried,  not  only  to 
them  by  trunk  line  railroads,  but  from  point  to  point  within  the  central  area  by 
the  local  transit  systems.  A  fair  indication  of  the  amount  of  this  movement  is 
indicated  by  the  diagram  on  page  23  showing  the  passenger  train  service.  The 
widths  of  the  several  strips  are  proportioned  to  the  number  of  passenger  trains 
operated  by  the  various  railroads  each  twenty-four  hours.  While  this  does  not 
represent  the  passenger-carrying  capacity,  or  even  the  actual  movement  of  per- 
sons, it  will  give  a  pretty  good  indication  of  its  magnitude. 

The  increase  in  the  width  of  the  strips  as  they  approach  the  city  terminals 
shows  the  large  commuting  business  done  by  the  several  railroads,  even  within 
the  restricted  area  included  in  the  map.  This  is  especially  noticeable  on  Long 
Island,  where  the  Long  Island  Railroad  has  terminals  at  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad  Station  in  Manhattan  and  at  the  Atlantic  Avenue  Station  in  Brooklyn. 
The  number  of  trains  brought  into  these  stations  by  that  system  has  increased 
so  greatly  of  late  that  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  has  appealed  to  the 
city  to  build  one  or  more  rapid  transit  lines  from  Jamaica,  to  pick  up  the  Long 
Island  passengers  and  distribute  them  through  the  city,  claiming  that,  if  this  is 
not  done,  they  will  be  crowded  out  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Terminal, 
which  was  built  to  accommodate  long-distance  traffic. 


[22] 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 


23 


j&Y  OF  y 

rS?  UNION 
W  fftfftLOOlCAL 

slOMLNAttV, 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 


RAILROAD  COMMUTING  FARE  ZONKS 

IT  IS  generally  conceded  that  families  should  be  encouraged  to  live  as  far  as 
possible  outside  the  congested  centers,  where  land  is  cheaper  and  where 
their  environment,  while  it  might  be  less  exciting,  would  be  more  wholesome. 
Such  a  movement  is  quite  evident  in  most  populous  districts.  It  is  said  that  the 
County  of  London  has,  within  the  last  ten  years,  given  up  500,000  of  its  popula- 
tion, who  have  gone  further  out.  The  problem  confronting  the  family  is  whether 
or  not  the  amount  which  might  be  saved  by  lower  rents  or  cheaper  homes  in  out- 
lying districts  would  be  more  than  absorbed  by  commuting  rates  between  home 
and  business.  The  map  on  page  25  is  intended  to  show  just  how  far  such  a  family 
could  go  at  a  certain  daily  expense  for  travel.  The  commuting  zones  at  5  cent 
intervals,  and  marked  15  cents,  20  cents,  and  so  forth,  show  the  cost  of  a  one- 
way trip,  on  a  basis  of  a  total  yearly  commuting  cost  spread  over  300  days  in 
the  year.  Those  who  were  kept  in  mind  in  preparing  this  chart  were  the  men  and 
women  of  modest  means,  whose  vacations  are  probably  limited  to  a  fortnight, 
and  who  must  make  the  round  trip  from  home  to  place  of  employment  about 
300  times  a  year.  An  examination  of  this  diagram  would  enable  such  persons 
to  determine  quite  readily  how  far  out  from  the  great  center  they  could  afford 
to  go  to  make  their  homes.  Very  few  of  those  in  the  cities  can  live  within  walk- 
ing distance  of  their  work.  Their  movement  to  and  from  their  places  of  employ- 
ment is  attended  with  discomfort  and  the  city  transit  facilities  are  greatly  over- 
taxed. Some  of  the  railroads  may  not  be  prepared  to  accommodate  more  com- 
muters at  their  existing  terminals  on  Manhattan  Island,  but  with  the  solution  of 
the  problem  of  terminal  accommodation  and  distribution  the  number  of  those 
who  can  live  under  more  natural  conditions  should  be  greatly  increased. 

Boundaries 

State  ■  ■  ■    •  

County   •   •  

Township,  City,  etc.  

~]  Area  served  by  New  York  City  Rapid  Transit  System. 
Note:  Circles  show  distances  from  New  York  City  Hall. 


[  24] 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 


RAILROAD  COMMUTING  TIM  K  ZONKS 

BUT  it  is  not  only  the  question  of  cost  that  will  determine  whether  the  city 
worker  can  establish  his  or  her  home  outside  the  city:  time  is  an  impor- 
tant element  and  the  illustration  shows  the  amount  of  time  required  to 
travel  between  various  outlying  point-  and  the  Manhattan  terminals  of  the 
several  railroads.  It  may  he  contended  that  this  diagram  does  not  show  so 
favorably  as  it  should  the  commuting  facilities  to  and  from  certain  suburban 
points.  That  is  true  if  the  best  trains  with  club-cars  were  to  be  used  to  deter- 
mine the  time,  but,  as  stated  in  connection  with  the  commuting  fare  map,  the 
persons  in  mind  in  preparing  it  are  those  who  have  to  be  at  their  offices,  or  places 
oi  business,  by  nine  o'clock  and  cannot  leave  them  until  five,  nor  can  they 
afford,  if  living  in  New  Jersey,  to  leave  the  train  at  the  New  Jersey  Terminal 
and  pay  an  extra  fare  to  save  a  few  minutes  by  taking  a  tunnel  train,  when  they 
can  without  extra  charge  reach  the  ferry  terminal  on  the  New  York  side  of  the 
river.  The  diagram  shows  that  there  are  certain  points  further  out  which  enjoy 
good  express  service  and  which  can  be  reached  in  as  short  a  time  as  others 
which  are  nearer.  It  also  shows  the  handicap  in  time  of  certain  nearby  points, 
owing  to  inferior  train  service  or  bad  connections,  handicaps  which  might  be 
readily  removed.  A  decision  as  to  the  location  of  a  home  w  ill  involve  ques- 
tions of  expense  and  time.  The  preceding  map  indicated  the  cost  of  commut- 
ing to  various  distances.  This  one  shows  how  much  of  the  day  must  be  given 
up  to  railway  travel.    The  two  together  may  help  in  reaching  a  conclusion. 

Boundaries 

County  •    •       

Township,  City,  etc.  

Note:  Circles  show  distances  from  New  York  City  Hall. 


[26] 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 


PARKS  AND  OPEN  SPACES 

ONE  of  the  most  important  features  of  a  regional  plan  is  the  provision  for 
recreation.  The  map  on  page  29  shows  the  parks,  cemeteries,  and  open 
spaces  in  the  entire  territory.  The  scale,  however,  is  so  small  that  it  is 
impossible  to  show,  except  by  symbols,  any  of  them  less  than  50  acres  in  area. 
Cemeteries  have  been  included  for  the  reason  that,  while  not  available  for  pub- 
lic recreation,  they  may  be  considered  permanent  open  spaces;  and,  looking 
far  ahead,  they  may  some  day  be  converted  into  actual  parks,  as  has  already 
been  done  in  several  cases  within  the  district. 

The  conspicuous  feature  of  this  plan  is  the  great  Bear  Mountain  Park,  under 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  Palisades  Interstate  Park  Commission.  It  also  shows 
the  excellent  system  established  by  Essex  County,  N.  J.,  and  the  fine  beginning 
of  a  Westchester  County  Park  System  in  the  Bronx  River  Parkway  and  the 
Mohansic  tract  of  1,100  acres  lately  ceded  by  the  State  of  New  York  to  West- 
chester County  for  park  purposes.  The  shaded  area  in  which  is  located  the  sys- 
tem of  reservoirs  of  the  Pequannock  Watershed  is  owned  by  the  city  of  Newark. 
Less  extensive  areas  around  the  various  reservoirs  of  the  Croton  Watershed  are 
owned  by  New  York  City,  and  consideration  should  certainly  be  given  to  the 
possibility  of  making  these  areas  more  available  to  the  public.  The  reservoirs 
themselves  provide  a  system  of  lakes  of  rare  beauty,  and  while  the  use,  by  large 
crowds,  of  the  shores  of  these  lakes  for  recreation  purposes  will  be  inconsistent 
with  the  proper  security  of  water  supplies  for  domestic  use,  it  might  be  possible, 
without  excessive  cost  for  sanitary  supervision,  to  give  the  public  the  benefit 
of  limited  enjoyment  of  these  areas. 


[  28] 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 


29 


V  UNION  0> 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 


KXISTING  RKCRKATION  FACILITIES  IN  THK 


HE  map  on  page  31  show  s  the  possibilities  ol  the  more  effective  use  of 


the  publicly  owned  lands  in  the  Hudson  River  Valley.   It  shows  both  the 


Bear  Mountain  Park  and  the  Mohansic  Reservation,  the  great  parks  of  the 
Borough  ot  (he  Bronx,  the  Bronx  River  Parkway,  the  strips  ol  park  along  the 
westerly  side  of  the  Hudson  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Palisades  Interstate 
Park  Commission,  the  system  of  lakes  and  reservoirs  in  the  Croton  Watershed, 
and  the  main  highways  connec  ting  them,  including  the  proposed  new  bridge 
across  the  Hudson  between  Anthony's  N'ose  and  Bear  Mountain.  By  means  of 
this  bridge  it  will  be  possible  tor  those  on  the  easterly  side  of  the  Hudson  and 
from  New  England  to  reach  the  Ramapo  Hills,  the  New  Jersey  shore,  and  the 
south,  without  traversing  the  already  overcrowded  streets  of  New  York  City 
and  without  the  long  delays  at  the  ferries,  there  being  at  the  present  time  no 
highway  bridge  across  the  Hudson  south  of  Albany. 

Realizing  the  need  of  adequate  connections  between  the  different  units  of  a 
park  system,  it  is  now  proposed  that  the  state  establish  a  parkway  which  w  ill 
connect  the  northerly  end  of  the  Bronx  River  Parkway  at  the  foot  of  the 
Kensico  dam  with  Bear  Mountain,  by  wray  of  Pines  Bridge  across  the  Croton 
Reservoir,  Mohansic  Park,  Peekskill,  and  the  new  Hudson  River  bridge,  above 
referred  to.  Another  state  project  includes  the  creation  of  the  Roosevelt 
Memorial  Park  and  Parkway,  the  former  located  on  the  shore  of  Oyster  Bay 
and  the  latter  extending  from  this  park  to  the  city  line,  by  way  of  East  Nor- 
wich, Roslyn,  and  Manhasset,  then  following  Northern  Boulevard  and  Jackson 
Avenue  through  Bayside  and  Flushing  to  the  Queensboro  Bridge  and  Central 


HUDSON  R1VKR  VALLEY 


Park. 


[  30  ] 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 


31 


UNION 

IfH'tBOLOGIV 


A  I. 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  [  T  S  E  X  V  I  RONS 


AREA,  POPULATION,  AND  PARKS  IN  URBAN 


I  IK  distribution  of  area,  population,  and  park  spaces,  between  the  present 


city  oi  New  York,  other  cities  and  tow  ns  of  more  than  25,000  population, 


and  the  remainder  oi  the  territory)  is  shown  by  the  figures  on  page  33. 
Besides  the  city  ot  New  York,  there  are  25  other  municipalities  of  over  25,000, 
lour  of  which  are  in  New  York  State,  18  in  New  Jersey,  and  three  in  Connecti- 
cut. The  provision  oi  park  areas  in  proportion  to  population  varies  greatly, 
with  West  Iloboken  and  Perth  Amboy  at  one  end  of  the  List  and  Montclair 
at  the  other,  the  last  named  having  four  and  one-hall  acres  of  park  to  each  1,000 
ot  its  population,  while  Norwalk  comes  next  with  four  acres.  Mt.  Vernon  and 
Yonkers  would  have  been  well  down  in  the  list  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  a 
large  proportion  of  the  land  acquired  for  the  Bronx  River  Parkway  falls  within 
their  corporate  limits.  The  portion-,  of  the  county  parks  falling  within  the  cor- 
porate limits  of  the  several  municipalities  are  credited  to  them,  the  rest  being 
included  in  the  " balance  of  area."  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  provision  of 
park  areas,  in  proportion  to  population,  in  New  York  City,  corresponds  almost 
precisely  with  the  average  of  all  towns  of  over  25,000  population.  In  the  com- 
parative distribution,  indicated  by  sectors  of  circles,  the  inclusion  of  the 
Palisades  Interstate  Park  Commission's  reservations  gives  such  a  large  per- 
centage to  the  area  outside  of  the  towns  and  cities  that  an  additional  diagram  is 
included  which  gives  the  proportions  excluding  interstate  parks. 


AND  RURAL  DISTRICTS 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 


ACRES  of  PUBLIC  PARKS   WITHIN  INCORPORATED  LIMITS 

Cities  and  Towns 
ofover  25,000  Population 

N  ew  York  State. 
(In  order    New  York  City 
pop )  Yonkers 


ZZZ. 


Mt  Vernon 
New  Pochelle 
Newburgh 

New  Jersey 

(In  order  Newark 

of  pop)        .  „ 

Jersey  City 
Pater son 
Elizabeth 
bayonne 
Hoboken 
Passaic 
East  Orange 
Perth  Amboy 
West  Hoboken 
Orange 


7ZZZZ2.7ZZZZZ2.7ZZZ1 


7ZZ7ZZZ777,VZ7ZZ7ZZ1 


■  2  — n 


ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ 


ZZ3 


; ,  ,r  zzzzzzzzzzzz 


West  New  York 
Montclair 
Pla  infield 
fteamy 
Clifton 
Irving  ton 

Connecticut 
(m  order  Bridgeport 
pop)  *)famforcl 

Norwalk 


ZZZTZZTZZZZZ, 


ZZZ] 


zzz 


Z3 


ZZZZx 


rrzzu 


New  BrunswickYZZZZZZZZZXZZZZZZZZZ, 


ZZZZZZ 


ZZZZZZ 


'//////ZZZ. 


ZZZZZZ 


•  |  — i — i 


ZZZTZZZZZZZZZc 


PER    I0OO  POPULATION 

!  H  3_ 


ZZZZZZZZZZZZ7Zl 


7 77/^77'. 


tzz$ 


ZZaZZZZZZZZZZ^ZZ 


Y 


^zv^^~^^^tzz7zzizzz^~~7zn 


YZZtZZ'ZZZ 


zzz7zz\zzzzzzzzz 


zzzzzzzzzx 





HZ  I] 


ZZZZZZ  ZZZZZZ7ZZZZZZZZZZZZYZ17ZZZZZZZZI 


7ZZZZZZZZZZZ7ZZZZZIZZZZZZZZZZ 


Bronx 


Pn 


er 
ancte 


N  Y  City 


Acres  per  1000  Population. 

COMPARATIVE  DISTRIBUTION 
□     Other  Cities  over  25,000  Population  C 


3      Balance  of  Area 


AREA  POPULATION  PARK  AREAS 

DIAGRAM 

5H0WING 

RELATION  OF  PARK5  AND  POPULATION 

I  N 

NEW  YORK  AND  ENVIRONS 


PARKS  EXCLUSIVE  OF  INTER 
STATE  PARKS 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK 
AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 

PHYSICAL  SURVSY-  130  £  ?2'»5T 


MOTE 

ParMs  of  /ess,  than 
Owe  Acre  are  excluded 


PLAN  OF  N  E  W  Y  ORK  A  \  !  >  I  I  S  ENVIRON  S 


COMPARISON  OF  PUBLIC  AND  PRIVATE 
PROVISION  FOR  RECREATION 

FROM  the  diagram  on  page  33  it  appears  that  many  of  the  towns  and  cities 
have  made  quite  liberal  provision  for  public  recreation,  as  judged  by  the 
open  spaces,  whether  in  proportion  to  total  area  or  population.  Outside 
ol  t lie  larger  centers  of  population  tin-re  is  a  great  disparity  between  open  spaces 
and  recreation  facilities  available  to  the  public,  and  those  established  by  golf 
and  country  clubs  for  the  exclusive  use  of  their  own  members.  This  is  distinctly 
shown  by  the  map  on  page  35.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  only  large  public  recreation 
spaces  on  the  easterly  side  of  the  Hudson  River  are  the  Mohansic  reservation  in 
Yorktown  and  the  Bronx  River  Parkway.  In  Westchester  County  alone  there 
are  at  least  38  such  clubs,  holding  5,230  acres,  some  leased,  but  for  the  most 
part  owned,  with  a  total  estimated  value  of  about  SI  1,000,000.  The  number  of 
such  clubs  is  constantly  increasing.  Attention  has  repeatedly  been  called  to  the 
need  of  adopting  a  policy  of  acquiring  strips  or  zones  of  vacant  land  outside 
present  populous  areas,  which  would  form  breaks  in  the  continuous  outward 
extension  of  the  built-up  areas.  In  the  progress  report  of  February  1,  1923 
(see  page  5),  it  was  suggested  that  this  might  be  accomplished  by  the  acqui- 
sition of  some  of  the  properties  occupied  by  these  clubs,  with  intervening  agri- 
cultural or  wooded  tracts,  the  clubs  and  the  agricultural  land  being  leased  back 
to  the  present  owners  or  occupants,  under  long-time  leases,  for  rentals  which 
would  meet  the  interest  and  amortization  charges  on  the  cost  of  the  property, 
thus  insuring  their  reservation  as  open  spaces  with  practically  no  additional 
tax  burden. 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 


[  35  ] 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  I  T  S  E  N  V  I  R  O  N  S 


CONGESTION  IN  N E W  YORK  THEATKR 

DISTRICT 


HE  tendency  toward  segregation  ol  various  kinds  of  business,  and  even  of 


amusements,  and  the  complications  which  sometimes  result,  are  shown  by 


the  plan  on  page  37,  indicating  the  number  of  theaters  within  the  district 
immediately  served  by  the  Times  Square  and  the  Forty-ninth  and  Fiftieth  Streel 
subway  stations.  Between  Thirty-eighth  and  Fifty-first  Streets  and  between 
Sixth  and  Eighth  Avenues  there  arc  no  fewer  than  78  places  of  assembly  of 
this  kind.  Their  combined  seating  capacity  is  95,294.  Forty-four  of  them, 
with  a  seating  capacity  of  55,911,  are  within  a  circle  having  a  radius  of  1 ,000  feel 
from  the  center  of  Broadway  and  Forty-second  Street.  Let  us  assume  that  of 
the  56,000,  35,000  come  from  the  Times  Square  station  between  8.00  and 
8.30  P.  M.  From  this  station  [nterborough  and  Brooklyn  Rapid  Transit  trains 
run  bot  h  north  and  south,  while  a  shuttle  train  runs  to  the  (  .rand  ( Central  Sta- 
tion and  the  east  side  Interborough  line.  If  two- thirds  of  the  35,000  people  were 
to  arrive  or  leave  within  a  single  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  if  they  were  distributed 
equally  between  the  two  north-bound,  two  south-bound,  and  one  east-bound 
lines,  it  would  mean  that  4,700  persons,  or  940  every  three  minutes,  would  be 
carried  in  each  of  the  rive  directions.  As  the  numbers  going  north,  south,  and 
east  v  ary  greatly,  there  are  much  confusion  and  discomfort. 

To  visualize  this  problem  a  little  more  clearly,  attention  is  called  to  the  fact 
that  the  95,294  people  attending  the  78  places  of  entertainment,  when  all  seats 
are  occupied,  more  than  equals  the  combined  population  ol  Mount  Vernon, 
New  Rochelle,  the  Pelhams,  Bronxville,  Tuckahoe,  and  Scarsdale,  as  reported 
in  the  lc>20  census.  It  is  also  more  than  the  total  population  of  Orange,  East 
Orange,  and  South  Orange,  and  is  almost  precisely  equivalent  to  that  of  Passaic, 
Clifton,  and  Eittle  Falls.  If  the  practice  prevailing  in  London  of  issuing  build- 
ing permits  for  structures  containing  places  of  public  assembly  only  after  reports 
from  the  police  and  fire  departments  as  to  the  effect  upon  traffic  and  the  fire 
hazard  had  prevailed  in  Xew  York,  it  would  have  prevented  the  conditions 
which  are  to  be  seen  every  night  in  this  part  of  the  city. 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  I  T  S  ENVIRONS 


PROGRESS  OF  ZONING  IN  THE  TERRI  TORY 
WITHIN  THIRTY  MILES  OF  NEW  YORK 


HE  last  illustration  shows  the  extent  to  which  the  zoning  idea  has  spread 


in  the  vicinity  of  New  York  since  that  city,  in  1916,  adopted  its  compre- 


hensive zoning  plan.  It  may  be  well  to  state  briefly  what  zoning  is.  h 
has  been  defined  as  "the  application  of  common  sense  and  fairness  to  the  public 
regulations  governing  the  use  of  private  real  estate.  It  is  a  painstaking,  honest 
effort  to  provide  each  district  or  neighborhood,  as  nearly  as  practicable,  with 
just  such  protection  and  just  such  liberty  as  are  sensible  in  that  particular  dis- 
trict." This  figure  shows  the  incorporated  and  mapped  areas  within  a  radius  of 
30  miles  of  the  New  York  City  Hall,  those  in  which  zoning  plans  were  being 
prepared  in  January,  1923,  and  those  which  had  actually  adopted  such  plans. 
The  fact  that  over  50  of  the  municipal  corporations  in  this  district  had  already 
adopted  suc  h  plans  is  significant.  The  public  attitude  toward  zoning  in  New 
York  City  is  indicated  by  the  amendments  to  the  zoning  plans  which  have  been 
made  since  they  were  first  adopted.  During  the  first  three  and  one-half  years,  or 
up  to  the  close  of  1919,  property  owners  were  still  somewhat  timid  and  uncer- 
tain of  the  effects  of  zoning.  During  this  period  a  number  of  amendments  were 
made,  of  which  73  tended  to  relax  the  requirements  while  20  strengthened  them. 
In  marked  contrast  to  this  record  is  that  of  the  two  following  years,  during  which 
27  amendments  made  the  restrictions  less  rigid  and  38  made  them  more  so. 
Inasmuch  as  these  changes  were  all  based  upon  petitions,  it  is  apparent  that 
property  owners  are  more  and  more  disposed  to  favor  the  upholding  and 
strengthening  of  the  zoning  requirements.  If  objections  to  zoning  still  persist, 
they  may  fairly  be  said  to  be  individual  and  not  to  represent  the  attitude  of 
important  groups  in  the  community. 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 


*  Ordinance  provides  for 
Use'  regulations  only 


Zoned  Communities 
Bogota,  N.J 
Bound  Brook,  N.J. 
Bronxville.  N.Y. 
Caldwell.  N.J. 
Cliffside  Park.  NJ. 


Within  the    30 -mile 
Cr an  ford.  N.J. 
East  Orange,  N.J. 
Elizabeth,  N.J. 
Fort  Lee.  N.J. 
Garden  City.  N.Y. 
Garwood.  N.J. 
Glen  Rid6e,N.J. 
*Great  Need  Estates.  NY. 
♦Hawthorne.  N.J. 


Circle 
HiMside,N.J 
Hoboken.  N.J. 
Irvm^ton,  N.J. 
Jersey  City,  N,J. 
Kearney,  N.J. 

♦  Leonia,  N.J. 

♦  Linden,  N.J. 
Lon6  Branch,  N.J. 
Madison.  N.J. 

♦  Maplewood,  N.J. 
Montclair.  N,J, 
Mr.  Vernon,N.Y. 
Newark,  N.J. 
New  Rochelle,  N.Y. 
New  York  City,  N.Y.*Verona.  N.J. 
North  Pelham.N.Y.    Westfield,  N.J. 

lutley,  N.J.  West  Hoboken.  N.J. 

West  Oan^e.N.J 
White  Plains.  N.Y. 
Yonkero.N.Y. 

BoonTon,  N  J 
Irvin6ton,N.Y 
Larcnmont.NY 
MamaronecVlown.NY 

(unincorporjld  pirt  | 

Port  Chester.  NY 
Riifefield  fark.NJ 
Ridgewood.  N  J 
Tenady.  N  J. 


Orange,  N.J. 
Passaic. N.J. 
Paterson.  NJ. 
Pelham.N.Y 
Pelham  Manor.  N.Y 
Railway.  N.J. 
Roselle.  N.J. 
Roselle  Parlt.N.J. 
Rutherford.  N.J. 
Rye,  N.Y. 
Scarsdale,  N.Y. 
South  Orange.  N.J 
Teaneck.N.J. 
Totowa.  N.J. 


Miles 


PLAN  OF  NEW  YORK 
AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 

PHYSICAL  SURYEY-I30E.22-ST. 


Zoning  Plan 
bein§  prepared 

Zoning  Plan  adopted 


Boundaries  Note 

State   Circles  indicate  distances 

County   from  New  York  City  Hall 

Township.  City  etc.  


[39] 


Wm.  F.  Fell  Co..  Printers 
Philadelphia 


